‘Reality Check’: Why Isn’t ‘American Idol XIV’ Better? (VIDEO)

TVLine.com‘s resident reality TV expert Michael Slezak is back with American Idol 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle for a surprise BONUS EPISODE of Reality Check, as the duo gives their immediate thoughts on the highs and lows of the week for American Idol XIV and The Voice 8!

The hosts kick things off by crowning “The Queen of The Voice,” while also lauding one contestant who absolutely stunned them both. They also discuss the big issues plaguing American Idol, at the moment. It’s a strong Top 5, but something is missing. “I’m starting to look outside of the talent of the show, at this point, to try to find the issue,” Melinda supposes, before speculating that the reason the talent isn’t creating moments like they probably should be is because of the format. Namely, the uncertainty of having to perform only moments after finding out you’re safe (or, in Rayvon and Quentin’s case, having to perform just moments after learning they’re in the Bottom 2). The themes are also singled out as the problem, particularly Arena Anthems. For Michael, the show is suffering from a “combination of weird structure of the show plus just dismal song choices.” However, Melinda offers an anecdote from her time on the show for why some of the contestants aren’t getting any help from mentors in picking the right song. It’s a really fascinating episode, and it’s SUPER-SIZED, so you get nearly an hour of deep, incisive reality singing show criticism. I could get on-board with this Google Hangout format, honestly. Check out the full episode below:

THOUGHTS

I think they’re spot on as to why Idol is so awkward and listless this season. The once-a-week format really doesn’t work that well. Or rather, their approach to the once-a-week format isn’t working. I really do think the show might be better off revealing the results at the start of the show, so each finalist has at least some time to mentally prepare for their performance, as opposed to being put right on the spot. I also think having a results show would help alleviate some of the pressure and voting weirdness that has plagued this once-a-week format. I’m completely on-board with Michael’s criticism that it’s largely pointless to ditch the results show for a series as inconsequential as Backstrom. Even just a half-hour results show, like in the days of Idol’s youth, might have done wonders for the quality of performances this season. But then again, the contestants do eventually have to be held to account for not performing up to their best potential. It’s crazy that we haven’t had any true Idol moments this season, considering the level of talent involved.

But what do you think? Have we had any Idol moments so far this season? What’s wrong with Idol this season? And who’s taking The Voice crown? Sound off in the comments!